PATTERNS OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DEFICIT IN CASES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM DISORDER WITH AND WITHOUT A FAMILY HISTORY OF PSYCHOSIS

This study was designed to identify the types of neuropsychological de ficits that are unique to familial and nonfamilial forms of schizophre nia. Seventy-two patients who met Research Diagnostic Criteria for sch izophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, mainly schizophrenic, were div ided into two groups on the basis of the presence or absence of a fami ly history of psychosis. The two groups were then compared for differe nces on six neuropsychological parameters as well as for differences i n psychotic symptoms. Multivariate analyses indicated that schizophren ic patients with a family history of psychosis showed significantly hi gher levels of overall neuropsychological deficit and significantly gr eater deficits on tests of motor-control and abstraction and problem-s olving. Factor analyses indicate that schizophrenic patients with a fa mily history of psychosis show a pattern of specific neuropsychologica l deficits, while schizophrenic patients without a family history show a pattern of more consistent cognitive deficits. The results of this study indicate that recent-onset schizophrenic patients with and witho ut a family history of psychosis show distinctly different patterns of neuropsychological dysfunction. These data suggest that abnormalities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and nonprimary motor areas may be associated with an increased familial risk for psychotic disorder.